Speedometer vehicle speed control device



Aug. 15, 1939. N. M MCCULLOUGH 2,169,268

SPEEDOIETER VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL DEVICE Filed Sept. 14, 1936 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 15, 1939 UNITED STATES srannomi'mn Neel M. McCullough, Anderson, Ind., assignor to PierceeGovernor Company, Anderson, Ind.,

. a corporation 7 Application September 14, 1936; Serial No. 100,650, z (01.125455) This invention relates to means responsible to vehicle speed for limiting the speed of an engine of a self-propelled vehicle to prevent overspeeding of the vehicle, as distinguished from 'regulating the speed of a vehicle through regulating the speed of an engine by means responsive; to the speed of an engine. i

The chief object of the invention, as indicated by the foregoing, isto permit the engine to operate at what might be termed normal overspeed under conditions where such engine over-speeding does not result in vehicle overspeeding.

Severalforms of the broad invention are illustrated herein. Each form illustrated has the characteristic that the engine control means is electrically operable and is also responsive to the speed of the vehicle at critical speeds for controlling the speed of the engine of the vehicle, preferably by controlling the ,fuel supply valve, fuel supply lever, et cetera, of the fuel supply system.

This application is a continuation in part of the copending applications entitled Vehicle speed engine limiting device, filed July 17, .1936, Serial No. 91,213 and Pressure operable governor actuated vehicle speed control, filed August 1, 1936, Serial No. 93,800, although the latter is more closely related to the former than it is to the present application.

The chief distinguishing characteristic em-" bodied herein is a circuit control responsive to the vehicle speedometer, adjustable-as desired or required, and controlling the fuel control system.

Other objects and features of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawing.

and the following description and claims:

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the major portion of one form of the invention, the

electric operable control for the engine and thespeedometer operable switch being shown in elevation, apart of the vehicle being shown in section.'

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the electric operable control for the engine.

Fig. 3 is a front viewof the speedometer and associated switch. v y

Fig. 4 is an elevational view, parts being broken away to show other parts'in central section and of another form of engine control responsive to the vehicle speed control. I V

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the engine fuel valve lever arm actuating mechanism shown in Fig. 4 and in subsequent figures.

Flg. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 and of a modified form of the invention.-

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shaft constituting a part of the-speedometer in there is enclosed 'a shaft cooperating with shaft secured to it a switch contact IS. The dial has a the usual miles-per-hour designations thereon or slot 22, see Fig. 3, and clamps the plate 20 to the speedometer housing. The arcuate slot 22 is con-,

- member 24 isgin electrical connection as at 28 higher speeds, thefuel control arrangement Fig. '7 is a view similar to Figs. 4 and 6 and 0 another modified form of the invention.

In Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawing, [0 indicates a drive. Said shaft rotates at a speed proportional to the vehicle speed. The speedometer housing I I includes. an extension l2 threaded as at i3 for detachable connection'to an arrangement where- 10 for operating the speedometer mechanism. The speedometer mechanism also includes the dial one. face plate I4 and an indicating device, such as a needle l5, carried by the speedometer needle shaft l6 operated by the mechanism enclosed within the housing H.

Herein the speedometer needle shaft is grounded by a line H as at I8. Usually this connection is the normal grounding of the vehicle electrical system. The needle or pointer I5- has suitably other equivalent designations.

Pivotally supported coaxial with the speedometer needle shaft [1 is .a plate 20 and thesame is rigidly adjusted arcuately with respect to the predetermined desired regulating speed and is secured in the associated position by means of the screw 2| which extends through the arcuate centric with the pivotal axis. The dial also ineludes an arcuate slot 23 and projecting there through is an electrical conductor 24 which terminates in an arcuate extension 25. The member. 24 is insulatably supported as at 26 and 21 by the plate 20 .and the projecting end of the with a wire enclosed within insulation, both being generally indicated by the numeral 29 in Fig.

1. The terminal member-28 thereof is secured in electrical and mechanical connection through the nut 30.

It will be quite obvious that the screw 2| may be sufficiently released to arcuately adjust the plate 20 to the desired position so that the position of member 24 corresponds to the predetermined desired speed indication on the speedometer dial. The screw 2| is then tightened and the mechanism is thereby set for the predetermined critical vehicle speed.

(The switch adjustment is preferably. sealed against tamperlng,although such sealing is not.

shown herein.)

As the speedometer needle rises from. zero to from the foregoingv The reason for providing an elongated contact 25 is that there is not only a time lag in the electrical operation-this being quite minor,--but there is an appreciable time lag in the fuel con- 'trol operation,-that is, before the fuel control really becomes effective forengine control. For that reason, the elongated contact 25'is provided so that the instant the vehicle speed of the critical speed, th initial closure of the control is made, and this closed circuit condition is the critical speed, the initial-closure of the continue its acceleration, by reason of engine acceleration, etc., for a very slight period. It will be apparent, if'this elongated contact, or some other maintaining circuit control arrangement, were not provided, that the speedometer needle might pass beyond the position of member 26 and thus release the fuel control mechanism from the electrical control, and thus defeat the purpose of 3i indicates a portion of the fuel supply passage to the engine; A shaft 32 supports a valve in said passage. Shaft 32 mounts a lever arm 33 which is connected to an actuating rod 3 3. This constitutes a manual throttle, either foot or hand operable, or foot and hand operable.

The fuel control mechanism shown in Figs.

1 and 2 more specifically, includes a supporting base 35 secured as at 36 to a fuel supply structure 3i, and more specifically the flange 3M. thereof, and the bracket extension 31 is bifurcated, see Fig. 2, and each end terminates in the pivotal support 38 which is in line with pivot 39. armature 46 and an arm M having threaded portion 43, which adjustably mounts a stop #33 in the form of a bolt. A sealing wire 66 and a metal seal suitably secure the bolt 43 and its anchorage 32 in sealed relation-that is, after being sealed. the bolt cannot be adjusted in its anchorage relative to the keeper .or armature without destroying the seal. A spring 46 is suitably secured to a member til at one end and to an anchorage 68 on the arm M. A solenoid magnet-49 has a core til. A wire i is connected as at 52 to a line 53 which includes a switch 56. Line Edisconnected to one terminal of the battery 55. The other terminal of the battery is connected by a terminal EB-to'a line 5?. Theswitch 5d diagrammatically represents the main switch, such as the-ignitionswitch of the internal combustion engine of a vehicle. Line 53 is-the main line to the ignition system, line 5i being a branch thereof tothe solenoid. The circuit is completed through the speedometer switch and the ground it.

When the circuit is completed through the solenoid magnet, the armature to is moved counterclockwise and to the right in Fig. 1, which tilts the bolt counterclockwise and to the left in Fig.

1 and positions the bolt in alignment with the connecting portion 33a of the throttle lever in the clockwise direction. As long as the solenoid is actuated,which will be as long. as the ignition stop I66.

Pivotally supported on member 38 is anwill still remain efifective so far as fuel control is concerned. Should the vehicle speed fall due .to climbing a hill or, the like, the speedometer switch circuit will be opened, the spring retracts the stop from stopping position and then the operator is permitted to advance the lever 33 in clockwise direction beyond the position shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows another form of the invention. In this figure, l3i indicates a fuel supply passage to an engine. One circuit wire is indicated -by 529 and ldl indicates another circuit wire to a solenoid M9 having an actuating member or, movable core I56. The lines H9 and I5! are associated with the ignition system. of the vehicle and a speedometer switch arrangement as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Reference will now behad to Fig. 5. Shaft I32 has-pinned to it at its outer; end an angular Between stop l-60 and the lever arm. 86!, is another arm I62 which is free on the shaft 32 but is held against the stop i613 by the spring M33. The rod or member lSt is notched as at 164 to receive a pin I65 carried by the arm I62. The rod I56 terminates in a recessed end E66 which nests one end of a coil spring I61 that bears against member I68 threaded to receive an adjustable stop in the form of a bolt H69 locked in adjusted position by the nut HEB.

Normally, spring l6? projects the movable core to the left in Fig. 4 and this corresponds to a position wherein the speedometer switch control is non-controlling. Upon energization of the solenoid M6, the movablecore is moved to the right in opposition to the spring 16! and the fuel control mechanism, including a valve, not shown, included within the passage ltl, is moved to the right and fuel controlling position until the member I50 engages the stop E69 and the parts are held in this position'as longas the solenoid is energized. In this manner, the speed of the vehicle is controlled by controlling the supply of fuel to the engine.

In Fig.6, a modified form of the invention is illustrated. In this formof the invention numerals of the 2% series indicate like or similar parts bearing numerals of the Hill series in Figs.

4 and 5. The fuel. supply passage is indicatedv by 235, fuel supply control shaft by 232, stop. by 265, associating spring by 263, lever arm by 262, the operating lever by 26L manual control rod by 234 and the solenoid controlled actuating position by nut 285. The piston is normally maintained in a position to the extreme left of the cylinder by means ofthe spring 267. The head of the cylinder includes an opening 286 connected by conduit 28? to a valve 288 in turn connected as at 289 to the intake or fuel supply portion of the engine. The vehicle body 288 includes therein a valve member 296 operated by solenoid 29!, the supp y lines 25iand 2259.

When the speedometer switch is closed, the valve is actuated so that the vacuum in the intake passage III is applied through lines 288 and 281 eter switch, but both are actually used in substantially the same relation as has been hereinbefore set forth. This form of the invention differs from that shown in Fig. 6 only in the substitution of 'a diaphragm power member in place of a piston power member.

In such installations wherein there is a source of compressed air available which now isthe common standard practice for braking purposes in trucks, it is to be understood that the piston or diaphragm shown in Figs. 6 and '7 may be associated with the supply of compressed air so that the piston or diaphragm will be moved to the right upon opening of avalve in a supply line from the air pressure reservoir to the cylinder or diaphragm chamber. The piston and diaphragm are moved substantially as before described by the compressed air in opposition to the returning springs illustrated therein. The solenoid operable valve in this instance, however, or by the addition of equivalent means, automatically bleeds the piston or diaphragm chamber respectively from the compressed air to permit said springs to become operative when the solenoid is deenergized.

The aforesaid modifications are so obvious to the persons skilled in this art that the same are not illustrated. Thus, the modifications illustrated herein, while shown specifically applied to I a vacuum system, are also applicable with slight changes to a pressure system without departing from the invention.

While the invention has been described in great detail in the foregoing specification and several modifications have been illustrated and described, such'illustrations anddetailed descriptions are considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in character. The several modifications illustrated and described, as well as others hereinbefore mentioned, together with others which will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art are all considered to be within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims. I

The invention claimed is:

1. In a control structure, the combination with a speedometerhaving a speed responsive indicator movable proportional to vehicle speed, a relatively stationary dial, and a housing for indicator 7 operating means, of a support 'arcuately adjustable on the housing upon an axis coincident with the axis of indicator movement, an angular member carried thereby, the dial having an elongated, coaxial, arcuate slot therein through which one portion of the member projects toward the indicator, another portion of the angular member lying parallel to the dial and between the same and the indicator for latter engagement when the indicator is moved into registration therewith, the said second mentioned portion of the angular member being elongated arcuately and coaxially with reference to the indicator axis, and means securing the support to the housing in the adjusted position.

2. A structure as defined by claim 1, character izedby the support and angular member having an insulated relationship therebetween.

HEEL M. MCCULLOUGH. 

